Mayport man charged after 5 bodies found

Police make grim discovery after standoff

By Binyamin AppelbaumTimes-Union staff writer,

A Mayport man killed and stowed four men and one woman in an Ocean Street home over an 11-day period that ended Saturday when a visiting friend noticed the smell and police were called to the scene, friends and police said yesterday.

William Wells, 27, surrendered to police early yesterday after refusing for more than 12 hours to leave the home where he lived with family members. Two friends who talked with Wells during the standoff said he was upset after learning recently that his wife was preparing to file for divorce.

After his arrest on five murder charges, Wells was transported to Shands Jacksonville because he ingested a large number of pills in an attempt to kill himself. He was in stable condition yesterday evening. An arraignment date has not yet been set.

The five bodies were found in four bedrooms of the doublewide home, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott McLeod said. Wells told police several of the victims were members of his family, McLeod said. He said their names will be announced tomorrow at the earliest because the bodies have somewhat decomposed.

Friends and neighbors said Wells' wife, Irene Wells, had not been seen since Tuesday. Irene's brother, John McMains, also had not been seen for days. And on Saturday night police filed a missing person report for Irene's father, Bill McMains, who owned the home but often stayed in a nearby apartment.

They were mourned as lost by the small groups of Mayport residents who gathered together and broke apart throughout the day on the periphery of the crime scene, sorting through memories to make sense of the tragedy.

Wells was described as jittery and introverted by many of those friends and neighbors. They said he had worked on shrimp boats and tugboats in the past, but recently had worked only odd jobs, such as fixing sinks at Melanie's Kitchen and Oyster Bar. The restaurant, across the street from the house, was owned until recently by the McMains family.

The new owner, Cecil Stanford, said Wells had not left the house in days. He had ordered food for delivery several times toward the end of the week, explaining he could not walk across the street because police were looking for him.

Police had been called to the neighborhood early Tuesday morning by neighbors who said Wells had shot their Rottweiler. The officers observed a pool of blood on the pavement but dropped the investigation after the dog's owners refused to cooperate, police said.

That evening, several of Irene Wells' friends said they saw her for the last time. Diane Pottbach called her the next day, but William Wells answered and said she had gone to a doctor's appointment. She called Thursday and Wells said the same thing.

That night, after closing up the restaurant, Chris Spitzer found himself locked out of his father's nearby apartment. He was walking back to the restaurant when Wells invited him to spend the night. He left soon after he arrived. "I couldn't stand the smell," Spitzer said.

Brian Lukas, also a cook at the restaurant, slept at the house on Friday night. He also noticed the smell and told his boss on Saturday morning. Stanford called police.

K.C. Griner (left) and R.L. Davidson of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office enter the home on Ocean Street in Mayport yesterday, where five bodies were found after a long standoff between a Mayport man and police.

-- Bruce Lipsky/Staff

The Sheriff's Office descended on Mayport shortly after noon, building its presence after Wells forced a standoff by threatening to kill himself. Finally, shortly after midnight, Wells surrendered without incident.

Police found a pistol in the home, but McLeod would not comment on whether it was the suspected weapon in any or all of the killings. Two dogs, a snake and a goat also were removed from the home, which police described as filthy. Trash was piled in the back yard, surrounded by a fence with holes. A sign for the restaurant once run by Irene McMains' parents lay in a front-yard flower bed.

Wells had married Irene McMains in 1998. It was the second marriage for both. She had a daughter from a previous marriage. Together they had a 4-year-old son.

William Wells loved the child dearly, friends said. As he worked less and less, he stayed home to play with the boy. And on Saturday evening, he allowed the child to leave the house.

The boy was held by police until he was placed in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families. Into late evening Saturday, he sat playing in a building across the street from the house that held his parents.

Times-Union staff writer Steve Patterson contributed to this report.

Staff writer Binyamin Appelbaum can be reached at (904) 359-4025 or bappelbaumjacksonville.com.